[ADMIN] Restricting submissions to SeeSat-L
Bart De Pontieu (bdp@blackadder.lmsal.com)
Fri, 24 Sep 1999 15:33:46 -0700
Hi all,
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We have recently had a few cases of spam sent to SeeSat-L and being
forwarded to the list. This is deplorable. The only reason these messages
were forwarded to the list is because our list policy currently allows
submissions to the list from *everyone*. This free policy leaves a door
open for spammers. It has been in place for a long time. Restricting
submissions to subscribers is possible but has an unwanted side-effect. If
the address you *send* messages from to SeeSat-L is different from the
address you have listed in our database for receipt of messages, your
submissions may not be accepted, unless your alternative address is
manually entered into another database (by me) We have experimented with
this in the early stages of SeeSat-L and it was quite troublesome for some
people. It also involves more manual work for you and me, which is
undesirable. I am thinking of an automated way in which people could
register alternative e-mail addresses without being multiply
subscribed, i.e., they would still receive only one copy of
all SeeSat-L messages, but that is in the planning stages.
So far, we've had two or three spam messages in 1 month. Fairly low still,
I personally get up to half a dozen spam messages per day. The problem
with spam is that once you feature on a "list of addresses" you're dead:
it is virtually impossible to be deleted from these lists that all
spammers buy and trade. The only recourse is to change e-mail addresses
or take alternative measures (such as submission restrictions, see
above). I have a feeling that SeeSat-L is on just one list, given the
paucity of spam so far. But it is not going to get any better, on the
contrary.
So now the question is: how sensitive are you, the subscriber, to spam.
If you can live with a few spam messages per month, we do not need to make
our lives more difficult. If you think spam is disgusting and do not want
any spam at all on SeeSat-L and would like the restrictive submission
policy installed, you need to speak up. On UseSat-L, not SeeSat-L.
One important guideline:
Please never reply to spam on the list itself. You can complain to me
personally, but there is currently little I can do about it. You can also
be assured that a particular spam message has not escaped my attention --
I read SeeSat-L very diligently, even if I hardly ever contribute.
So, let's have a discussion about this on UseSat-L.
Cheers,
Bart De Pontieu, SeeSat-L administrator